Tuesday, September 30, 2008

My taxes, however, would more than double (yes, you read that right, MORE THAN DOUBLE) under McCain's proposed plan, as opposed to Obama's.

You can estimate your own taxes, according to the candidates' proposed tax changes here

I don't necessarily object to taxes. I believe that governments have responsibilities to their citizens, and that that costs money. Money that is usually raised via taxes.

I object, however, to lies. I object to smirking and insinuating that Obama "doesn't seem to understand how things work" when in fact Obama is absolutely truthful in saying that his tax plan would give lower taxes to MORE THAN 90% of AMERICANS. The McCain tax plan doesn't start looking better until you make more than $150,000 a year, and even then, it's better by a matter of tens of dollars. I don't know how these plans compare to current rates, frankly, so I can't speak to which one will "lower taxes more."

Monday, September 29, 2008

Anyone who knows me realizes that my politics lie somewhere to the left of, oh, Hawaii, so it is absolutely no surprise that I really, really, really, really don't like McCain. Actually that would be a huge understatement, but you get the point. I just want to point out, though, that no matter which side of the political spectrum you're on, this kind of thing should not be considered acceptable:

There was an article on the NY Times website on Saturday (which appeared in the Sunday print edition) about McCain and his work in the Indian Affairs Committee in the Senate. He works to regulate the casinos that have sprouted on tribal land. Among other things, of course. The trouble is that apparently he loves gambling, and thinks it's okay to gamble thousands of dollars in the casinos he's supposed to be regulating. He also loves to gamble with lobbyists for the gambling interests, even though he claims to be all anti-lobbyist. And just to show that he's an equal opportunity gambler/corrupt politician, he negotiated a tax break of over $100 Million for Las Vegas casinos.......brilliant, huh?

Here's the first page of text, with the option to register on the NY Times site (free) for the rest:

I know that a couple of my readers are probably much less liberal than I, and might even be thinking that McCain is the way to go. If that describes you, please, please, please take this, and the many other instances of incredible hypocrisy on McCain's part, seriously.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Okay folks, I blogged about this over the summer, but you now only have one day to tell the Department of Health and Human Services what you think about their evil plan. You know, the one that could reclassify birth control as abortion? The one that could allow doctors and pharmacists to deny women their rights, just for shits and giggles?

This would affect poor women, particularly women of color and especially Native American women, significantly. Any woman who gets health care from government programs could be denied birth control, simply because of a change of wording by some Bush goons. That doesn't mean that the rest of the women in the country will be unaffected. Some private insurance companies won't cover birth control, and the HHS plan could open the door for that becoming the norm.

I haven't even mentioned yet that this is another step to erode Roe V. Wade without having to officially repeal it, but yes, there's that too.

I especially love (sarcastically) the absurdity of a party that is supposedly anti-abortion taking steps that could drastically increase the number of unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. That's just brilliant......

ACT TODAY!!!!!!!

Here are your options:Email the HHS directly and tell them they're dumb (hopefully more articulately than that)consciencecomment@hhs.gov

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Last weekend we finally had the memorial for Grand-dad. It was definitely time, if not past time. I'll write more about my grandpa and his life, but I'm waiting until I've got some photos to post as well. My cousin H (oops, a different H than the one I stayed with in Seattle) and I are planning a marathon photo-scanning session, after which I'll have more material.

The memorial was low-key. It wasn't a whole funeral or service, just light buffet lunch, with people sharing stories and memories. A priest was there to say a quick prayer. There were some really fun anecdotes from friends of the family, and a nice display that H made of photos and wood carvings that Grandpa had done.

Afterward, I went back into the City with H, her parents and her boyfriend. We went through old photos (there are so many, it's crazy), and laughed about the haircuts that our grandmother gave our dads when they were kids. Hint: if you have 2 little kinky-haired, mixed-race brown boys with pointy heads, don't give them cuts with shaved sides and lots of hair on top.....it's decidedly NOT CUTE!

The race topic is one that I need to sort through more thoroughly. Race relations in the UK are complicated and different from what they are in the US. I'm not sure how my family fits into the whole thing....

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Well, I'm sick again.....This cold's origin is no mystery, as I'm spending all of September working in the Pre-K class made up entirely of 3 year-olds. Many don't know how to blow their noses on their own, and all seem to have come back from summer vacation with colds.

I was even puked on a few days ago. So yucky.

The sad thing is that I got sick at 3am on Thursday morning, and Boyfriend was due back from Europe Thursday night. His return went something like:

"Hi, babe!!! I'm so glad to be home! I missed you so much! Kisses!""...Hi sweedie....I'b sick....""That's ok." *he leans in for a kiss*"A...A.....ATHCHOOOO!!!!!" (I sneeze all over him)

Yeah, what a welcome, eh? I did reassure him that I was enthusiastic on the inside.....

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Little snippets of pseudo-political snarking:

Apparently the outfit that Cindy McCain wore to one of the RNC events cost about $300,000. Yes, that comma is in the right place. Her necklace alone was $25,ooo. That's $11,000 more than I made last year. Her watch was almost $5,000, and her dress $3,000 (if it was couture, that's not an unheard-of price...just...insane). The Vanity Fair piece doesn't even tell us how much the earrings (huge diamonds) or shoes cost, so we have to do the subtraction ourselves....

"Why do I care?" You ask.

Well, because people who spend that kind of money on clothing and jewelry can hardly be counted upon to keep regular folks' best interests in mind. Also, people who spend that kind of money on clothing have no right to call the other side "elitist," especially if the wife of the other side's candidate shops at "White House Black Market" where research tells me that no dress costs more than $200.

The supremely interesting Liza Cowan found a piece unearthing the truth about Sarah Palin. She's Dolores Umbridge in disguise!!! (okay, if you're not a Harry Potter fan, you're so confused right now....) Here's the blogger who has thoroughly examined the situation:http://listofnow.com/?p=411

I'm poking about on the Obama campaign site, trying to figure out what I can do to help, since giving money is totally out of the question at the moment (and for all the forseeable moments....). I'm slightly discouraged, because it seems like the majority of volunteering involves getting on the phone (hate it!) to call people in swing states and try to convince them to vote Obama/Biden. I hate getting unsolicited calls, so I'm going to assume that most other people do too, and I don't know if I can handle being that person who calls and disrupts dinner or something....Ideas?

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

Why is it that the photographer who came to our show got beautiful shots of everyone else in the program, but I look like I'm horribly surprised and/or trying to eat a huge sandwich???Check it out for yourselves (and laugh your heads off that I look like such a nob!!):http://www.pbase.com/billmohn/image/102452787

I'm finally back from Washington state!The workshop was amazing. I learned a lot, worked with some really cool people, and had a good time. We prepared scenes from 17th Century operas, had movement classes every morning, and got to explore the Queen Anne and Fremont neighborhoods of Seattle. The scenes were lots of fun, the movement classes wonderful, and the local eateries tasty.

It was in the midst of all this, however, that I realized that my paycheck had not been deposited. So it was an exercise in credit card over-use, which is not great. I still haven't worked up the nerve to check my CC balance, to find out exactly how much damage I did. I wasn't being frivolous at all, though, I just needed to eat! And since there was a kitchen but no utensils or cooking vessels, I couldn't make much more than cereal and sandwiches.

After the program ended, I went up to Redmond, WA to stay with my cousin H. She's got a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a new baby. I worked on my child-wrangling a little and helped around the house. I was hoping to get her freezer stocked with homemade, easily reheat-able meal options, but I didn't mangage it. Sorry H!

I think I'm deciding that trying to do all of those things on one's own is impossible. She's got a husband, but even so. It seems that there's more work than 2 humans (well, 1 when he's at work) can reasonably accomplish. If I'm ever a mom, I will likely be demanding help from anyone within shouting distance....

I was completely without news and information during this time (except for little snippets of internet time while at H's house), so I'm feeling rather out of the loop. It wasn't until the last day of August that I found out that Obama had chosen Joe Biden as his running mate, and the whole "OMG Sara Palin has a pregnant daughter" hoopla missed me completely as well. I have to say, though, that I'm not feeling bad about taking a break from news and ranting and stuff. It was refreshing to completely devote my brain to music. For a few days I couldn't figure out why I was so tired, but then it occured to me that one doesn't usually spend ALL DAY in rehearsal, so that level of concentration is not what most people are used to.

So yeah, it's back to work I go. Pre-K until the end of the month. I don't like working every day, but I need to this month, so that I can get back on track with finances. Boyfriend is out of town till the 18th, so I'm on my own and a little bored when I'm home....Stop by and entertain me?